Jamaal Bowman, Progressive Insurgent, Defeats Eliot Engel in House Primary
Source: New York Times
Jamaal Bowman has scored a stunning victory over Representative Eliot L. Engel of New York in a Democratic primary, defeating the 16-term incumbent and overcoming the efforts of the Democratic establishment in a profound show of progressive political power.
Mr. Bowman, a middle school principal from Yonkers, was declared the winner on Friday, after a count of absentee ballots verified what seemed clear on Primary Night, when he emerged with a commanding lead over Mr. Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The victory came with the help of an array of stars from the Democratic Partys left wing, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
As a first-time candidate with a fiery anti-establishment message, Mr. Bowmans victory has echoes of Ms. Ocasio-Cortezs own stunning win in 2018 over another entrenched incumbent in New York, Representative Joseph Crowley, then the No. 4 Democrat in the House.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/nyregion/jamaal-bowman-eliot-engel.html
ETA to add the (late) WaPo story after doing a breaking (and I sure as hell wasn't gonna link to The Hill) -
By John Wagner
July 17, 2020 at 11:23 a.m. EDT
Jamaal Bowman, a former middle school principal, has ousted longtime Rep. Eliot L. Engel in a closely watched Democratic congressional primary in New York that shaped up as a generational and ideological challenge. Bowmans projected win came more than three weeks after Election Day following the tabulation of an unusually high number of absentee ballots.
It was a victory for the left-wing of the party over a powerful 16-term Democrat who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee and had the endorsement of Hillary Clinton, the partys 2016 presidential nominee, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D). Bowman seized on the momentum of the movement for racial justice after incidents of police brutality and picked up endorsements from several leading liberal luminaries on the national stage, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Bowman issued a statement the morning after the primary declaring victory in the 16th congressional district, as same-day voting showed him with a sizable lead. Many doubted that we could overcome the power and money of a 31-year incumbent,he said. But the results show that the people of NY-16 arent just ready for change theyre demanding it. Im a Black man who was raised by a single mother in a housing project. That story doesnt usually end in Congress. But today, that 11-year old boy who was beaten by police is about to be your next Representative. I cannot wait to get to Washington and cause problems for the people maintaining the status quo.
During the race, Engel faced criticism that he had not spent enough time in the district, which includes the northern Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/jamaal-bowman-ousts-longtime-rep-eliot-engel-in-new-york-democratic-primary/2020/07/17/c7e9a346-b603-11ea-a510-55bf26485c93_story.html
muriel_volestrangler
(101,412 posts)"one who acts contrary to the policies and decisions of one's own political party" (and that's the M-W definition that doesn't involve "a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government especially : a rebel not recognized as a belligerent" ). He was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren.
2naSalit
(86,943 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)marybourg
(12,650 posts)for the challenger to a long-entrenched incumbent.
I dont believe it carries any perjorative implication in that usage.
Ford_Prefect
(7,928 posts)MSM will stir any pot for more clicks, tweets and just because they can.
Further, more specific commentary will likely lead to redaction for heresy here at DU.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,180 posts)Many would argue progressives are regarded as this type of insurgent by many, even in here. The conservative wing of the party have consolidated the power and leadership. The liberal wing must fight both Republicans, the MSM, and many times are at odds with their own party leaders when it comes to, not social issue progress, but economic systematic reform. AOC has said, if it was another country, she probably wouldn't be in the same party as Joe Biden. Its a big tent.
DownriverDem
(6,236 posts)No change with the deck chairs. No gain for the Dems. Why don't progressives run against repubs where gains can be made?
muriel_volestrangler
(101,412 posts)I can't see what you say has to do with the use of "insurgent".
Magoo48
(4,722 posts)still_one
(92,510 posts)bluewater
(5,376 posts)We should all thank Rep. Engel for his years of service and be excited that the torch has been passed to a very capable successor in soon-to-be Rep. Bowman.
George II
(67,782 posts)....not the least some humility.
DownriverDem
(6,236 posts)What a waste of money and time.
Thekaspervote
(32,821 posts)greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,989 posts)By Sheryl Gay Stolberg
March 18, 2020
WASHINGTON Representative Dan Lipinski, a conservative Democrat from Illinois whose opposition to abortion rights and the Affordable Care Act made him a pariah in his party, lost a hard-fought primary race on Tuesday night to his progressive challenger, Marie Newman.
Ms. Newman, a business consultant and founder of an anti-bullying program, edged out Mr. Lipinski by two percentage points, with 494 of 500 precincts reporting early Wednesday. She had the backing of the progressive group Justice Democrats and its standard-bearer, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, as well as EMILYs List, the powerful group that backs Democrats who support abortion rights.
Mr. Lipinski narrowly beat Ms. Newman in 2018. Tuesdays results were a major upset for the congressman, whose family has represented Illinois third district, in the Chicago suburbs, for nearly four decades. Mr. Lipinskis father, Bill Lipinski, first won the seat in 1982 and held it until 2005, when Mr. Lipinski succeeded him.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/politics/marie-newman-dan-lipinski-illinois.html
The group's record is spotty but a few have gotten in. However what generally happens is like everyone else in elective office for a long time, they become "politicians". And unless they agree to a pledge of self-term limits (and actually go through with that), then they will become an "entrenched incumbent" that someone else will seek to unseat one day.
greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)Mostly, I've seen progressives losing, even losing badly, like Sanders on Super Tuesday.
BumRushDaShow
(129,989 posts)we had a "progressive" from the "Working Families Party" elected as an at-Large City Council member (they do the at-large tally by selecting the top 7 vote getters running for that position, which in this case, ousted a Republican out of office, where the other 9 Council members are in assigned districts). It was the first time that party got into elective office here.
Our D.A. is also a "left progressive" (and a former criminal defense attorney), who was elected 3 years ago and who completely upended the D.A.'s office.
If anything, I think the phenomena is very localized depending on what is going on in a district or municipality. And what also happens is if you have an area that is solid (blue or red), then that opens it up for getting into the granular policy weeds when it comes to who is running and what the constituents seem to want in an elected official at a particular moment in time.
Devil Child
(2,728 posts)murielm99
(30,784 posts)co-wrote the Green New Deal. How very progressive.
Devil Child
(2,728 posts)MichaelSoE
(1,576 posts)But he does support it
From his official .gov page
I am a proud co-sponsor of the 2019 Green New Deal resolution and the Climate Action Now Act, both of which would include many of the bold climate-related proposals I have advocated for over the years. We should also strive for more energy efficient standards in automobiles and other products that we rely heavily on in our daily lives. Time is running out if we want to successfully subvert climate change. Future generations will remember who was on their side and who turned a blind eye.